I was thinking about British fashion icons today (yes, you can blame the Olympics), & seriously you guys, Tilda Swinton. Yes, her fashion choices are polarizing. But you have to admire a woman who is not afraid to take fashion risks, yeah? Her sex appeal isn’t the common kind—in fact, some people find her rather jarring. But her wind-tunnel beauty & no-nonsense style really appeal to me. Because her looks are so interesting, she is also an excellent choice for character roles—roles I think are far more challenging.

“The other day, I was going through the airport security & I was searched by a male security guard. I’m very often referred to as ‘Sir’ in elevators & such. I think it has to do with being this tall & not wearing much lipstick. I think people just can’t imagine I’d be a woman if I look like this.”

Ugh, seriously, so good.

One of the reasons I adore Ms. Swinton’s style is that even though it’s always risky, it’s always cut impeccably, in colours that suit her. The fact that she’s risky hasn’t hurt her profile, either. She’s constantly photographed by the paparazzi in her outrageous outfits, & is an inspiration for magazine stylists everywhere.

“It’s a real comfort zone for me to feel alien.”

I’m pretty sure Tilda Swinton was the first fashion-forward-thinking person to sport a modern under-cut. This is the haircut of the summer! You can’t go anywhere without seeing someone sporting it.

“There is something insane about a lack of doubt. Doubt, to me anyway, is what makes you human, & without doubt even the righteous lose their grip not only on reality but also on their humanity.”

Her androgynous beauty & incredible acting talent have sparked rumours that she’s a favourite to play David Bowie in an upcoming biopic. Two iconoclasts—I really couldn’t think of a better fit. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s played a man, either. She played Mozart on stage, an Elizabethan nobleman in Orlando, & the androgynous Gabriel in Constantine.

“I’m basically interested in identity, & I still find fascinating the question, “How do we identify ourselves, & how do we settle into other people’s expectations for our identity?”

What can we learn from Tilda Swinton?

• Always be searching to define your own identity, both stylistically & personally.
• Take risks.
• Live your life for you & you alone—you’re the only one you’re accountable to, after all.
• Absorb art in every form possible, including your clothes.

I could literally watch this for hours.

Photo sources: 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5

For those in the know, Diana Vreeland is a huge source of inspiration. But she’s not exactly a household name. Not a traditional beauty, but her style is enduring & continues to influence fashion in fascinating ways. She had style in spades.

“There’s only one very good life, & that’s the life you know you want & you make it yourself.”

Mrs. Vreeland was born in Paris in 1903, & moved to New York at the outbreak of the first World War. She was discovered at a dance & started out as a columnist at Harper’s Bazaar. She later moved on to be the editor of Vogue. She coined terms like youthquake, & was chock full of witticisms. She brought many a fashion trend into the spotlight, most notably Yves Saint Laurent’s animal prints. She celebrated the uniqueness of the 1960s, discovered Edie Sedgewick, & wrote a brilliant autobiography, D.V. (quotes of which are featured prominently in the film To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, which was my first introduction to Diana Vreeland!).

“Fashion is part of the daily air & it changes all the time, with all the events. You can even see the approaching of a revolution in clothes. You can see & feel everything in clothes.”

She was brilliant, with all the eccentricities that go along with that. She changed the pronunciation of her name—no Diana for her, it was to be “Dee-ann”. She obsessed over finding the right red. In fact, her apartment was completely decorated in lacquer reds, with scarlet floral wall coverings, & crammed head-to-toe with knickknacks & books everywhere.

“Style—all who have it share one thing: originality.”

Okay seriously how good is that three-booches/turban/manicure combo? SO GOOD YOU GUYS.

She wasn’t a flashy dresser, but was always dressed impeccably & stylishly. She loved simple, elegant clothing & beautiful accessories. There’s even a fashion legend that she asked Charles Revson to duplicate a bottle of her red Parisian fast-drying nail varnish, essentially becoming the driving force behind creating Revlon Cosmetics.

“I believe you see, in the dream. I think we only live through our dreams & our imagination. That’s the only reality we really ever know.”

She is perhaps best known for her column Why Don’t You, which was published in Harper’s Bazaar. Some of the “why don’t you”‘s are completely ridiculous & over the top (“Why don’t you… own, as does one extremely smart woman, twelve diamond roses of all sizes?” Because who doesn’t own diamond roses?!), but the whole point of Why Don’t You… wasn’t a to-do list, but rather a way to help women just emerging from the Depression look outside of themselves & approach the world creatively. She didn’t just talk about fashion—Diana Vreeland spun a web of fantasy & inspiration.

Why don’t you…

• … tie black tulle bows on your wrists?
• … wear a bowler?
• … stick Japanese hair pins in your hair?
• … give someone an enormous white handkerchief linen table-cloth, & in different handwriting & colors (black, acid green, pink, scarlet & pale blue) have embroidered all the bon mots you can possibly think of?
• … turn your old ermine coat into a bathrobe?
• … wash your child’s hair in champagne?

Photo sources: 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5